The following guide will help you better understand how to adopt a child in Utah. The process of adoption in UT isn’t the right path for every family, but learning more can help you decide if it’s right for you.

Call us at 1-800-ADOPTION if you have any questions about what it takes to adopt a child in Utah, and keep reading for an overview of the UT adoption process:

Should You Choose a UT Adoption?

Adoption is one of many different family-building options that you can choose from. Although it’s a great option, the Utah newborn adoption process isn’t the right option for every family.

Before beginning the Utah child adoption process, couples must be united in their adoption goals and expectations. If you struggled with infertility, you’ll need to first deal with any lingering grief before adopting a child in Utah and release the dream of having a biological child so that you can begin your new dream of adoption.

Which Utah Adoption Professional is Right for You?

If you’ve concluded that you’re ready to pursue adoption, you’ll next need to decide which adoption professional you want to complete you adoption in Utah. First, consider the type of Utah adoption you want to complete. The adoption requirements for each type of child adoption Utah will be different, so you may wish to take those requirements into consideration. The different types of adoption in UT include:

Domestic infant adoption

For those who want to adopt an infant in Utah, a domestic adoption agency like American Adoptions can help you complete the process. To receive all of the services required to adopt a child in Utah, it’s recommended that you work with a national adoption agency rather than a smaller local agency which, unlike national agencies, will usually be limited to working with birth and adoptive parents within the immediate area of Utah.

Foster care adoption

Some hopeful adoptive families are flexible about the age and needs of the child they intend to adopt in UT. In these cases, a foster care adoption can be a great option. There are an estimated 2,100 to 2,600 children in state custody in Utah, and 13 to 18 percent of those children will become eligible for adoption. Many of those children are part of sibling group, are older, or have additional needs.

You can learn more about the requirements of foster care adoption in Utah here, or begin the process of a foster care adoption in Utah here.

International adoption

Prospective adoptive families who are comfortable without much knowledge of a child’s background may consider an international adoption in UT. Depending on the country you adopt a child from and the agency you work with, the requirements, costs and restrictions of adopting a child internationally will vary.

You can learn more about international adoption in Utah here, or begin the intercountry adoption process with one of these Utah international adoption agencies.

Beginning the Process of Adoption in UT

Once you’ve determined which type of Utah adoption professional you want to work with, and the agency that will complete your adoption in UT, you’re ready to begin the adoption process.

Adoptive families who are working with American Adoptions will fill out their Adoption Planning Questionnaire (APQ) at this stage, along with creating an adoption profile, completing their Utah adoption home study and more.

The completion of these steps will approve you to adopt in Utah with the agency as well as on a state and federal level. After this approval, your adoption profile is ready to be shown to expectant mothers who are looking to find adoptive parents in Utah and across the U.S.

Finding a UT Adoption Opportunity with Expectant Parents

Once your adoption profile becomes active, it can take a few weeks or a few months for an expectant parent to choose you for an adoption opportunity, but 7our families see wait times at an average of 12 months.

This adoption wait time varies for several reasons, including your openness to a wide range of adoption opportunities in your APQ and the personal preferences of each expectant mother searching for adoptive parents.

Finalizing the Adoption in Utah

Adoption finalization is the last step of adoption in UT.

Before adoption finalization can occur, the biological parents of the child must first offer their consent to the adoption. Consent may be given no sooner than 24 hours after the birth of their child, and that consent must be signed before a judge or a person from a licensed child-placing agency. In the state of Utah, consent is not revocable once signed.

American Adoptions secures legal representation for both birth and adoptive families to make sure that everyone fully understands the legal steps of adoption in UT before moving forward.

If you work with a national adoption agency like American Adoptions, you may adopt a child from outside of Utah. If that is the case for you, Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) clearances will need to be granted before you can go home to Utah with your baby. Whenever children are adopted across state borders, the ICPC process occurs to ensure that those children are going to safe homes, so this step is also required for adoptive families who live outside of UT and adopt a child from Utah. However, if you live in and adopt a child in Utah, ICPC is not needed.

After returning to Utah with your child, you’ll complete your post-placement home study requirements. Several months after you’ve completed your post-placement study, your adoption finalization hearing is scheduled to occur in your local district court, according to Utah adoption jurisdiction laws.

The adoption finalization hearing is where you’ll be granted your legal parental rights as well as the final decree of adoption, which legally completes the Utah adoption process.

A Lifelong Journey

Adoptions in Utah are an ongoing journey for birth families, adoptive families, and adoptees.

Whenever possible, American Adoptions encourages open adoptions. Studies have shown that increased openness in adoptions is beneficial for birth and adoptive parents, but most of all, for adoptees.

With open adoptions in Utah, birth and adoptive families can stay in touch throughout their lifetimes. There’s no set way to have an open adoption, so you can have the post-adoption relationship that makes everyone feel loved, comfortable and fulfilled. Some birth parents want direct contact through phone calls, emails and in-person visits; others wish to have indirect contact with the adoptive family through a semi-open adoption. Your adoption specialist will detail a prospective birth mother's wishes when you receive an adoption opportunity.

You can request free adoption information online to learn more about how to adopt a baby in Utah, or call us at 1-800-ADOPTION now.

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